Numerous assembly lines for mounting tires upon wheels are known in the prior art and are widely used today in the automotive industry. Generally, the assembly lines, known in the art, contain conveying means, such as conveyor belts or metal rollers making it possible to route the tires, wheels and mounted assemblies, respectively, from one point to another on the assembly line. The tires and wheels are delivered from a supply warehouse by means of suitable pallets to be further mounted on the assembly line and delivered to customers. The tires and wheels are typically treated by the lubrication solution before the tire is installed on the wheel.
Various automated equipment and systems have been previously recognized to use a loader assembly that facilitates the transfer of the tires from an upper conveyance device to a lower conveyance device. For example, one of these systems is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,684 to Kane et al. These automated systems have limited capabilities to monitor the diameter of the tire, thereby lacking ability to control the tires of different heights and prevent the tires from escaping beyond the loader area, thereby keeping the tires within the loader.
Accordingly, the opportunity remains for a new design of the loader having a device capable of adjusting the width of various tires, thereby keeping the tires within the loader on the factory's floor.